I wasn't aware of all the contrived mystique and tomfoolery surrounding these retro weirdos until doing this, always being content with the audible gimmick. The Devil's always had the best tunes, but they were never this catchy.
Behold My Ye Top 5 Ghost Albums. That's right, I don't only like decrepit things.
They've lost all the old character now. Admittedly, that was my reckless reflex when Meliora came out too, but this bland, vague rock opera does nothing for me. It's all downhill from the lovely guitar intro.
Fave: Imperium
A dark historical theme doesn't mask the depleting atmosphere. The style's old mitre by now, given some '80s flavour with power ballads and sparing falsetto and sax. They don't rouse me to join in any more, I was more interested in the instrumentals.
Fave: Miasma
Backtracking from the second album, I was never as enraptured by the ominous debut, though its melodic spookiness still hits the spot. Its problem is that it's just so God damned smooth, I stop noticing it after a while, until the glorious finale.
Fave: Ritual
I've been sleeping on this one. I'd only listened a couple of times over the years and rejected it on the basis of not being weird enough. It goes for consistent high quality instead, as infernally catchy as ever with a harder edge. And some B-movie space synth for good measure.
Fave: He Is
I was probably on a YouTube occult rock binge when I came across this cheerfully evil release. As a lapsed metal fan, I was an instant convert to what I perceived to be the church of black metal for poofs, pissing off parents through the innovative medium of catchy choruses and irresistible chants rather than being all shouty and uncouth.
Fave: Monstrance Clock
